Science
Shubashree Desikan Understanding a recent study done by researchers on the Eurasian common lizard which exhibits both egg-laying and live-bearing modes within the same species
The fascinating discovery of an optical pulsar
On January 15, 1969, theoretical astronomers John Cocke and Mike Disney made a stunning practical discovery by identifying an optical pulsar for the first time. The story of how they discovered it is an enthralling one, made even more incredible by the fact that their conversations during the key moments were actually tape recorded on the night of the discovery. A.S.Ganesh regales you with the story of how Cocke and Disney found an optical pulsar…The last of the Surveyor series
Launched on January 7, 1968, the Surveyor 7 was a lunar unmanned lander that successfully landed on the lunar surface on January 10. The last of the original series of Surveyor moon landers of the 1960s. Surveyor 7 was the only spacecraft of the series that landed in the lunar highland region. A.S.Ganesh takes a look at Surveyor 7 – the only purely scientific mission in the series…The first of the Luna missions
Launched on January 2, 1959, Luna 1 was the first human-made object to escape the grip of the Earth’s gravity. Even though it didn’t meet its primary objective of impact with the moon’s surface, it achieved a lunar flyby before going on to become an artificial planet around the sun. A.S.Ganesh takes a look at the Luna 1 mission, the first of a highly successful space programme…Marie and Pierre discover radium
On December 26, 1898, French engineer Henri Becquerel informed the French Academy of Sciences of the discovery of a new element. The element in question, radium, was discovered a few days earlier by the Curies, Marie and Pierre. A.S.Ganesh takes a look at the discovery of radium…